italy

The Cinque Terre is a UNESCO World Heritage site, and if you didn’t know that, then you’ve never been here before, because the fact is bandied about like so many ears of corn at a State Fair. A bit of history: when the League of Nations folded up shop […]

Despite all of the stereotypes and legends, the truth is that American tourists are usually no better nor no worse than any other group of tourists. What they may lack in terms of linguistic capabilities (which is much in comparison to tourists from any other country), is often made up […]

The votes have just come in from the Parliamentary elections of 2013, and for those of you paying attention to Italian politics, the results are a mess. The liberal party, the PD, has proven itself incapable of capturing the imagination of new generations of Italian voters who are desperate for […]

This is a story that can only happen in Italy, I think. We’ve moving into a new house, and because Levanto is a small town with very close ties between everyone, it turned out that the person whose parking spot I needed to borrow to put in a dumpster for […]

Considering the fact that I’ve lived outside of the US continually since 1998, I missed moment of great cultural importance when Americans started calling the guy who pours your coffee a “barista” and the sweet creamy stuff that you eat out of a cone “gelato.” Where I come from (the […]

I have already written about the joys and art of bottling your own wine in Italy. While it is undoubtedly a fulfilling and economically-sustainable practice (read: cheap), it is not without its pitfalls. Another one happened toady, inspiring me to give you a list of my most famous misadventures. In […]

A few days ago we hosted a wonderful American couple who had come to our home to experience something we call The Italian Family Dinner. When traveling, it can be nice to have a home-cooked meal once in a while, and so we open up our doors to travelers […]

This week our blog has moved locations and is doing a piece for gaytravel.com, with whom we offer one of our gay-friendly tours. It features our colleagues at Sicily In & Out, a likemided tour operator in Palermo. Check out the article.

Because my last entry seemed so unbelievable to the American public, I thought I would follow it up with another little tidbit about health care in Italy. Though not of any relevance to those traveling in Italy, nevertheless, the way in which Italy deals with pre-existing medical conditions may still […]

Italians like to complain about the workings of their government and the quality of public services, and in many cases, there’s a lot to complain about … but not the health care. I have been in love with Italian health care from day 1 in Italy, and I’ve always been […]